If talks take place with Pakistan, it will be on PoK: Rajnath Singh
Kalka (Haryana): Asserting that dialogue with Pakistan is not possible till it stops aiding and abetting terrorism, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday that if talks are held with Pakistan they will be only on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Singh was addressing a public rally ahead of flagging off the BJP's Jan Ashirwad rally for the assembly polls.
"If talks take place (with Pakistan), it will be on PoK (Pakistan occupied Kashmir) and not on any other issue," he said. "If at all there have to be any talks with Pakistan they will only happen when it stops aiding and abetting terrorism," he said while noting that people in Pakistan want a dialogue between India and Pakistan.
On what issue should we have talks and why, the defence minister asked. On the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, he said the step had weakened the neighbouring country and has become a cause of concern for them.
"Now it (Pak) is knocking every door and approaching various countries seeking help for saving them. What crime have we committed. Why are we being threatened. However, the world's most powerful country America has snubbed Pakistan and asked it to go back and initiate a dialogue with India," he said.
He said Pakistan want to destabilise and weaken India through terrorism.
"At times Pakistan wants to break our country by using terrorism.But our 56-inch chest PM has shown to the country how to take decisions. After the Pulwama attack our Air Force carried out Balakot strike," he said.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who remained in denial on Balakot strike, had recently said that India was planning a bigger strike than Balakot which means he has admitted that the Balakot air strike took place, the defence minister said.
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11k litres of milk poured into Narmada river after religious event; environmentalists see red
Sehore (PTI): Around 11,000 litres of milk were poured into Narmada river, often called the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, in Sehore district on the culmination of a 21-day religious event as part of a sanctification ritual, prompting environmentalists to flag its negative impact on the ecosystem.
The event concluded at Satdev village in Bherunda area, located about 90 km from the district headquarters, with a 'mahayagna' on Wednesday.
The milk was offered to the river as part of rituals and prayers for the purity of the waters, the well-being of pilgrims and prosperity, organisers said.
The milk was brought in tankers to the riverbank and later poured into the flowing water amid chanting of mantras in the presence of a crowd of devotees.
However, environmentalists raised concerns over the practice, warning of its potential ecological impact.
"Such large quantities of organic matter can deplete dissolved oxygen in water, adversely affecting the river ecosystem. These impact local communities dependent on the river for drinking water and threaten aquatic life as well as domestic animals," noted environmentalist and wildlife activist Ajay Dube said.
Religious offerings should be symbolic and mindful, he asserted.
Renowned environmentalist Subhash Pandey said 11,000 litres of milk acts as a significant organic pollutant.
"It is highly oxygen-demanding and can lead to oxygen depletion, aquatic mortality, eutrophication (process of plants growing on river surface) and loss of potability. These effects are predictable from dairy-effluent chemistry and have been documented in similar incidents worldwide," Pandey pointed out.
Narmada originates at Amarkantak in the state and traverses 1,312 km westward to Maharashtra and Gujarat, emptying into the Arabian Sea via the Gulf of Cambay.
It is the largest west-flowing river in the peninsula, passing through a rift valley, and acts as a crucial water source for irrigation in MP, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
